Building Optimus Prime

[crayadder]

Hello all,

 

I am trying to build big red, but am unsure on how to go about creating Roller and his Combat Platform. I will supply the basic write I have for those who are not familiar with their capabilities. All ideas are appreciated.

 

Prime's Form

...His Prime module, also known as Roller, is a small cart-shaped device that he uses to unobtrusively slip behind enemy lines. He can maintain radio control over it at distances up to 1200 miles. Having Roller present somewhere is like being there himself. He can operate by remote-control his Combat Deck module up to a distance of 1500 feet. The Auto-Launcher mounted on the Deck can use a variety of artillery and radiation beam weapons, including most of those used by his fellow Autobots. The Launcher also includes a highly dexterous grapple-arm which allows it to load itself and change its weaponry. The communications disk antenna mounted on the launcher provides a link between Optimus and all his fellow Autobots within a radius of 50 miles. It can be adapted to a satellite hook-up that increases its effective range 10-fold. Although Optimus Prime can function as three independent modules, injury to any one ot the modules is felt by the other two. Roller is particularly vulnerable, especially in the behind-the-lines situations in which he specializes. However, the Optimus module is by far the most important component of the trio. Although he could survive without the other two, they could not survive without him.

 

So far I have thought of making the Combat Platform into a base and Roller into a vehicle. Optimus would have a clairsentience (only through the senses of others: Roller & Platform) and Mind Link (feedback: Roller & Platform).

 

What do you all think?

 

note: iirc it has been shown on the cartoon that Prime can deploy his trailer and Roller while in Robot and Rig mode

[prestidigitator]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

I would do this using Duplication with the Feedback Limitation and Mind Link as appropriate.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

From what I remember of the show, I'd write up Roller as a Duplicate, and the Combat Platform as a Vehicle (which has it's movement bought as being pulled by Optimus. The reason I'd do Roller as a duplicate is because of he's really just a "little optimus" with different abilities. The Duplication would likely have the Feedback limitation. I'm not sure about other conditions and what Modifiers would apply however.

[crayadder]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Thanks for the help you 2, I was thinking about duplication as well, but thought it might not be as simple a solution as it could be.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Oh, they rarely are. That's why you fudge it. You'll get used to fudging things. It is so fun.

[crayadder]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

LoL! That it is. BTW, Here is my write up of roller and the combat platform.

 

Roller: Vehicle, Ranged (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (937,500"; +1 1/4) (110 Active Points); Feedback (any damage taken by Roller or Combat Deck, Optimus takes and vice versa; -1), Linked (Transformation; -1/4)

 

and

 

Sensor Link with Roller: Clairsentience (Hearing And Sight Groups) (30 Active Points); Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Conditional Power only with Roller (-1/2)

 

then

 

Combat Deck: Base, Ranged (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Feedback (any damage taken by Roller or Combat Deck, Optimus takes and vice versa; -1), Linked (Transformation; -1/4)

 

I created both as powers in Hero Designer and the purpose of the ranged advantage is to simulate Optimus's control over them from afar. I'm not sure if that is valid though, given that one's a vehicle and the other a base, both usually operated directly by the hero.

 

thanks for all your help,

Crayadder

[prestidigitator]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Huh. Awfully interesting approach, anyway. One thing you might want to think about is the range of your Clairsentience. Clairsentience, believe it or not (like it or not; I don't) has the usual range of ActivePoints*5". Like Teleport, it is one of those things you have to make really expensive or use MegaScale with to make useful in a non-combat setting.

 

EDIT: I don't recall this being the case in 4E. Was it? I think in 4E you could basically use the Power to see anywhere you wanted to.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

LoL! That it is. BTW, Here is my write up of roller and the combat platform.

 

Roller: Vehicle, Ranged (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (937,500"; +1 1/4) (110 Active Points); Feedback (any damage taken by Roller or Combat Deck, Optimus takes and vice versa; -1), Linked (Transformation; -1/4)

 

and

 

Sensor Link with Roller: Clairsentience (Hearing And Sight Groups) (30 Active Points); Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Conditional Power only with Roller (-1/2)

 

then

 

Combat Deck: Base, Ranged (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Feedback (any damage taken by Roller or Combat Deck, Optimus takes and vice versa; -1), Linked (Transformation; -1/4)

 

I created both as powers in Hero Designer and the purpose of the ranged advantage is to simulate Optimus's control over them from afar. I'm not sure if that is valid though, given that one's a vehicle and the other a base, both usually operated directly by the hero.

 

thanks for all your help,

Crayadder

 

Are these writeups using the Duplication Power, or the Vehicle/Base perk?

[Dust Raven]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Huh. Awfully interesting approach' date=' anyway. One thing you might want to think about is the range of your Clairsentience. Clairsentience, believe it or not ([i']like[/i] it or not; I don't) has the usual range of ActivePoints*5". Like Teleport, it is one of those things you have to make really expensive or use MegaScale with to make useful in a non-combat setting.

 

EDIT: I don't recall this being the case in 4E. Was it? I think in 4E you could basically use the Power to see anywhere you wanted to.

 

Same in 4th. It's actually a fairly decent mechanic, and keeps character from being able to view the width and breadth of the universe for 20 points.

 

Of course, for the range we talking about here, he's gonna need a LOT. x4,096 (60 points) to be exact (well, it falls short by about 50 miles, but close enough). Buildng it in a Multipower with a MegaScale slot seems a bit too clunky though. For something this simple and of limited use (in regards to how Clairsentience is normally applied), I'd let a simple scalabe MegaScale work, even a close range. 1"=10km would give about 5 times the listed range, so I'd be okay limiting it to what's listed (1200 miles) and saying it can also work at distances less than 1 km. The only other thing I'd change is adding 0 END (and possibly persistant) as it shouldn't be tiring to maintain.

[crayadder]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

The powers are bought as a base and vehicle perk for the combat deck and roller respectively. Doh! Forgot about the range thing on Clairsentiance. I was worried about the mobility and missed it completely. Thanks for the heads up prestidigitator

 

I bought the perks as powers to represent that they are a part of Optimus's being and not just a couple of tools that he can park and forget about as well as replace without thinking about the concequences. It also allows me to use the link disad to link them to his transformation, although I think they should be in existance and useable when he is in both rig mode and robot mode. Problem is then, how do I simulate it when he transforms into robot mode and both disappear, which is the majority of the time?

 

Here's the updated clairsentience. Note the increased range has been pushed to over 2 million because the next level down is only 460,000, which is less than half of what is needed for 1200 miles.

 

Sensor Link with Roller: Clairsentience (Hearing And Sight Groups), Increased Maximum Range (2,343,750"; +1 1/2) (75 Active Points); Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Conditional Power only with Roller (-1/2)

 

or I could do this

 

Sensor Link with Roller: Clairsentience (Hearing And Sight Groups), MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +1/4), Increased Maximum Range (4,625"; +1/2) (52 Active Points); Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Conditional Power only with Roller (-1/2)

[Narratio]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

When you're building Optimus himself, watch out for the mass. The problem with the really big boys from cartoons and comics is that the wieght of the buggers doesn't cause as much accidental colateral damage as you might expect with such large point loads.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Problem is then' date=' how do I simulate it when he transforms into robot mode and both disappear, which is the majority of the time?[/quote']

Do they really disappear, or do we simply not see them because they are of no consequence to the story? It seems to me that they might always be parked somewhere when he is in robot mode, even if he isn't using them.

 

Then again, you could just give each of them Extra-Dimensional Movement into a very very small dimension, so that he can always call them back wherever he is. Keep in mind that this probably isn't too unbalancing because the character himself cannot go to the other dimension, so he can't really use it as a free teleport or anything. He's just sort of got a bag-less (Focus-less), "Bag of Holding," that can only hold his accessories.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

You could also just build them as Summon (note that if you Summon a Base or Vehicle you only get one cost break; you won't get to divide by 25 or anything).

[Dust Raven]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

The powers are bought as a base and vehicle perk for the combat deck and roller respectively. Doh! Forgot about the range thing on Clairsentiance. I was worried about the mobility and missed it completely. Thanks for the heads up prestidigitator

 

Writing up Perks as Powers has always been a wonky concept for me, except in certain situations (like having a computer Follower built into your belt buckle or something). For a Follower/Base/Vehicle, it's either use the Perk as a Perk, or use one of the Powers that allows you to create characters out of thin air (Duplication or Summon). For Optimus, I'd use Duplication for Roller as he's just as you say, a little Optimus. The Base though, is actually a Vehicle (because it can move) that he tows behind him in truck mode, and is dropped off where ever he transforms and stays put until he goes back to pick it up.

[casualplayer]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Roller, for the most part, is just Clairsentience for Prime bought through a focus. He doesn't seem to be self-willed or have much initiative, and I have never seen him do anything but scout (basically acting as a perception point for Prime.) I can't recall if it was real-time communication of info or Optimus had to link-up (Concentrate?) to get the scoop from Roller. It's not as if Roller is like one of Soundwave's cassette-children. I mean, if Roller is a full-on Autobot, he's dumber than a Dinobot.

 

Optimus' command platform is wonky. The trailer part is his freakin' legs when you transform him, but it apparently can turn into Firebase Prime and act separately. What's up with that? Game-wise, Summon is the way to go, completely loyal, appears out of nowhere, blah, blah.

 

Both of these ways work a lot better than buying Duplication twice for two different Multiforms. The thought of that makes my head hurt.

[Egyptoid]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Both of these ways work a lot better than buying Duplication twice for two different Multiforms. The thought of that makes my head hurt.

 

My head always hurts when I do transforming mechanoids.

[crayadder]

Re: Building Optimus Prime

 

Thanks for all your help fellow heros. You made my job easier